Pretty self explanatory really. Yarmulka or kippah is a minhag that we have to cover our heads. May Jewish actors remove their head covering for the purposes of their jobs?
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2Why wouldn't they? I know that my great-grandfathers, who were both quite fromm would only wear their kippot at home, even in America.– Noach MiFrankfurtFeb 9, 2015 at 23:54
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@Noachmifrankfurt - See igrot Moshe oc 1:1. Some sefardim I know do not follow this ruling, however.– YehudaFeb 10, 2015 at 0:03
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judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/48441/…– ScimonsterFeb 10, 2015 at 7:45
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May Jewish actors wear their head-covering when depicting non-Jewish characters?– Avrohom YitzchokFeb 10, 2015 at 14:22
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1 Answer
Halachipedia states:
If one can’t take a job unless he doesn’t wear a Kippah at work, one doesn’t have to forfeit his job for this mitzvah. If they allow one to wear a regular hat one must wear such a hat. Also, when one enters another room or the marketplace one must put back on a Kippah even if one will be mocked as long as there is no concern of losing one’s job
I think, in the above, even though it says "can't take a job", I infer that since the end of that sentence says, "doesn't have to forfeit his job", they mean that whether one is offered a job or is already working in that job, he don't need to wear the kippah if it damages his job.
I am inferring that in your question, the person's job is an actor, and the boss has specifically told him that he must play that specific role that requires not wearing a kippah. If he does not play that role, he will lose his job. If that's the case, then it would follow Halichipedia's position.
On the other hand, it seems that if they offer the person a choice of playing another role where he can wear his kippah, it seems that he should accept the other role. As stated above, it seems that the best solution might be to request if he can wear a hat, as non-Jews also wear hats / caps. That may keep the boss and him happy and satisfy halacha.
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1I'm not sure that psak is relevant here since it seems pretty clearly to be a protection from anti-Semitism, while the scenario in the question doesn't seem to be that way. Nobody cares if the actor wears a kippa off-set. It's just when he's playing non-Jewish characters that they don't want him to wear it.– DanielFeb 10, 2015 at 15:06
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1@Daniel that would make it even more applicable. I have heard that Steven Hill either wore a toupee or (transparent) spray as a yarmulkeh when acting. However, since this is hearsay only and I could not find a source, I cannot put it into an answer. Feb 10, 2015 at 19:37
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@sabahillel - Interesting - something transparent, like a dried spray can be used as a kippah?!? Do they make transparent plastic kippahs?– GaryFeb 11, 2015 at 2:16